Peter Berriman Press secretary for the St.Ives Pilot Gig Club
As is the custom The Three Rivers Pilot Gig Race organised by the Caradon Gig Club is the first official race of the season and on the 3rd March St. Ives Pilot Gig Club along with many other crews travelled to Saltash to take part.
On arrival they were met with blue sky with partial cloud cover but most importantly a gentle breeze blowing across the river Tamar unlike other years where there has been a strong southerly wind blowing straight up the course.
With 95 Ladies crews and 95 mens’ crews entered in this 6-mile race it meant that 8 groups with 12 gigs in each were allocated each group being timed with 2-minute interval between each group. The course set was upriver from the Tamar Bridge for two miles before going around two turning marks and making their way back the longest leg of the course, back under the bridge continuing down river around two more turning marks and finally finishing near the bridge.
Our ladies of Holly Titman, Peta Earles, Amy Trotman, Gayle Bowden, Hannah Mason and in her first ever race (Town Councillor) Sinead McNamee, coxed by Paul Bowden, was drawn in group 6. The crew had a good start and was in the first three of the group coming into the first turn. During the long section rowing with grim determination, they started to catch and overtake some of the gigs which started from the group before. They were going well, until the last mark, when the strong current running down the course pushed our gig Fortitude a little too close to a big channel marker which was also acting as a turn mark knocking the no. 5 rower from her seat and damaging her paddle. After losing precious seconds in sorting themselves out they still managed to race home finally being awarded 66th place, with final timings being very close the clash probably lost them several places.
St. Ives men consisting of Lawrence Eastwood, Mark James, Pete Preston, Rob Collins, Mark Edwards and John Roughnac and cox Perran Brittan were waiting on the shore but before they could get afloat as the spare paddle had to be brought from the trailer and set up, not an ideal way to start a race but at least they had a spare.
Eventually the mens’ race got under way, our men quickly got into their rhythm and rowed steadily down to the first and second marks where they overtook two gigs which meant for most of the long stretch, they were on their own but slowly catching gigs from the group before them. Managing a crew over a long race, especially when no other gigs are around, it is important the St. Ives Cox’n kept them concentrated, and, after thankfully no mishaps on the last turn on the final leg put the pressure on and passed three gigs before finishing, being awarded 57th place.
When all the combined timings were put together St. Ives came 56th, well done crews. This now gives a yardstick to what we can expect at the World Gig Championships which will held over the Mayday bank holiday on the Isles of Scilly.
If you are interesting in have a go at rowing then contact Amy on 07817 938726.
